


Apples & Oranges

by mcswoonfor_mcdoon



Category: Captain America (Movies), The Avengers (Movies)
Genre: 1940s Stucky, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Engaged, Engament, Fluff, Idiots in Love, M/M, Post-Serum Steve Rogers, Pre-Serum Steve Rogers, Stucky - Freeform, cute stuff, i suck at time stuff, i sure don’t, idk - Freeform, like literally who knows what year “present time” is, no beta we die like men, only for a second though - Freeform, what’s up with their fruit fascination
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-20
Updated: 2020-04-20
Packaged: 2021-03-01 17:21:36
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,324
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23750749
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mcswoonfor_mcdoon/pseuds/mcswoonfor_mcdoon
Summary: Steve and Bucky have been engaged since the 30s.Apparently, this is not common knowledge.
Relationships: James “Bucky” Barnes/Steve Rogers
Comments: 8
Kudos: 232





	Apples & Oranges

**Author's Note:**

> hello! this is my first Captain America/MCU, and hence my first stucky, fic! I really needed to write a fluffy, ‘no-one-knows-we’re-together’ fic to recover from the memories of *shivers* endgame. im real bad at the timing stuff, but for the most part this happens after The Winter Soldier (then it kinda... looses the canon bc.... c’mon....). anyway, I hope you all enjoy!

_**1938** _

Steve awoke to the sun in his eyes. The window that sat in the middle of the wall farthest to him had the curtains pulled aside, warming the room with the harsh glare of the suns rays. He grumbled incoherently, shifting in his bed. "G'morning."

Steve looked up to see Bucky smiling slightly, clear blue eyes sparkling with some gentle fondness that made Steve's heart thump harshly in his chest. He was leaning nonchalantly on the door frame. "Why aren't you at work?" Steve asked, lifting himself up slightly by his elbows. His voice was thick with sleep.

"It's Sunday," Bucky said, moving towards Steve's bed. The mattress dipped under his weight as he sat down, bringing his arms around Steve and cupping the back of the other’s neck with his hand.

"Is it?"

"Mhm," Bucky hummed, bringing his lips down lightly onto Steve's own. They've been doing this for almost more than two years.

Steve wouldn't want to change it for the world.

Bucky pulled back, smirking at the way Steve chased his lips. "Your birthday is on Tuesday. Can't get off work for the rest of the week, so I thought we might celebrate today." A warm, bubbly feeling settled deep in Steve's chest, and a tentative smile formed on his lips.

"Yeah. I'd like that."

Bucky made an affirming noise, then stood. "I made breakfast."

"What are you trying to do? Kill me?" Steve asked, and Bucky laughed, and the sun framed his face so perfectly that Steve's hand started twitching with a need to draw this out— write it down and keep this moment of time tucked in his pocket for the rest of eternity. Bucky started walking towards the kitchen, and Steve followed behind him, albeit slowly. He took his time tugging on something presentable— not just his underthings that he slept in— and then went about his way to the kitchen.

Bucky was sitting in their small kitchen, at their even smaller kitchen table. There was toast, thinned out scrambled eggs, coffee, and— "Oranges? How in God's good name did you get enough to pay for those?"

Bucky smiled sweetly. Innocently. "Don't you worry your pretty little head about it," was all he said. Steve pressed a kiss to Bucky's temple before sitting down opposite of him.

"I can pay you back for the oranges," Steve said, fidgeting slightly. It's not that he wasn't great full—oranges were his favorite— but he knew that they must've been a few cents more than Bucky could spare, especially with their rent coming up, and he had some money saved, a few dollars or so extra from his half of rent. And he wouldn't mind paying a little more than he usually did each month, and it was the least he could do for the man in front of him.

Bucky rolled his eyes and said, "Think of it as a birthday present, Stevie. I've got it covered. Now eat, I can see you deteriorating right in front of my eyes." Steve nodded and started to eat. The coffee was a little watered down, and the butter on the toast was slim to none, but it was the best breakfast he's had in a while because Bucky made it and Bucky thought of him and loved him and nothing could be better than that.

Later on, as Steve was washing off the dishes as well as the sticky juice from the orange off his hands, Bucky came up behind him and wrapped his arms around Steve's chest. Steve huffed our, « You could help me, ya know." Bucky replied by kissing the top of Steve's head, then his temple, then his cheek. "Buck," Steve sighed, a small smile on his face.

Bucky leaned into Steve's ear and said, "You know something, Steve? Can I ask you something?"

"Sure, Buck," Steve said, a turning off the cold tap water and wiped his wet hands on his pants. He pulled himself away from Bucky and started to put the dishes in their rightful places.

"Well, I was thinking, if maybe one day... well people like me... and you, me and you specifically, if we're allowed..."

"Spit it out, Bucky."

"Well, if we can one day do you want to marry me?"

Steve paused, hand hovering over the cabinet handle. Bucky was leaning back against the counter, trying, and failing, to hide his nervousness. Steve turned to look at him. "I'm sorry, sorry, I know it was a weird question, and this is never how I planned to do this, but—"

"Yes," Steve interrupted. "Yes. I'd love to marry you, Bucky. God, I'd love to." Buck smiled so wide Steve was afraid that his face would split in two.

"Really?"

"If it becomes legal one day, and if we're still alive and kicking to see it, then I will marry you." Bucky smiled wider, if that was possible, and kissed Steve so soft and pure on the mouth that Steve was pretty sure his insides melted down to his toes.

———

_**PRESENT DAY** _

"You sure you still want this?" Bucky asked, fidgeting slightly. They were in Steve's quaint apartment, and Steve was holding Bucky's hand tight, and Bucky looked like he was about to cry. "I'm not the same man I was all those years ago."

Steve shrugged. "Neither am I. But nothing about how I feel has changed. I still love you to the moon and back, not to mention that we've been engaged for over 70 years and I haven't changed my mind yet." Bucky smiled, and Steve smiled back.

It was true, Bucky and Steve weren't the same as they had been all those years ago. Steve woke up sobbing some nights, and Bucky didn't talk some days, but that hadn't changed how either of them felt about the other.

Getting Bucky's memories back was a slow process. For every step forward there was two steps back; but they got through it.

Together. Like they always had.

"D'ya think we need rings?" Bucky asked, pulling his metal hand away. He frowned slightly, flexing his fingers, as if wondering how a ring would work on his hand.

"Maybe we should save rings till we're married," Steve said, sensing the other man's unease, and his chest bloomed when Bucky smiled.

"Yeah. I think you're right about that."

———

"So," Tony said, "when are you gonna start putting yourself out there?" Steve glanced up at him.

"Huh?" Steve was at the New Avengers facility, attempting to read while Tony did— whatever Tony does.

"Ladies are constantly drooling over you, yet you're here. Reading." Steve shrugged, sure that his confusion was clear on his face. Tony just rolled his eyes. "Whatever, man. You do you, and all that jazz."

Steve turned back to his book, flipping to the next page, but not really registering what was going on.

———

“Bucky.”

“Do you like them?”Bucky asked, glancing from the table to Steve and back again.

“Well, yeah, oranges are my favorite, but I don’t understand why you got me them.”

“Well,” Bucky’s hand scratched at the back of his neck, “I was thinking about it. And, well, you like oranges, and I haven’t seen you eat any in a while, and... well, you deserve the world, but the best I can do is buy you oranges. So here they are.” Steve smiled, moving towards Bucky to wrap his arms around his waist.

“Thank you, Buck,” Steve said sincerely, as he kissed the side of Bucky’s neck. “Lemme repay you. You still like my Ma’s apple pie?” Bucky’s head snapped up.

“You remember the recipe?” he asked, hopeful. Steve just hummed.

“I just need to buy more apples,” he said.

———

"Should we plan the wedding?"

It was still so weird to think about it. How they didn’t have to hide it anymore. How this was okay. How they could finally do it.

He could marry the love of his life, now.

"So soon?" Bucky burrowed into Steve's shoulder, pressing a kiss to the skin that was exposed there.

"It's been a while," Steve said. "We don't have to right away. If you wanna wait that’s fine. But I’ve waited a long long time for you. I really want to be your husband." Bucky snorted.

"You're such a sap," he said, pressing his lips to Steve's jaw.

"You are the one who drowns me in kisses every chance you get."

"Because you deserve it, punk."

Steve sighed. “Jerk."

Bucky laughed. "I love you," he said.

"I love you, too," Steve replied.

This is right.

———

"Somethings wrong," Bucky said. Steve looked up with a start. He had been working on a drawing, sitting in the main room of the New Avengers facility.

"What?"

"Come with me." Steve stood and followed Bucky out into the hall, nerves clutching at his stomach. Bucky glanced back and noticed his uneasiness.

He could never hide anything from Bucky.

Bucky grabbed Steve's hand. "Nothing bad," he clarified, and Steve nodded. “It’s just... they’re in there scheming. I heard them when walking back from my work out." Steve raised his eyebrows.

"Scheming?" he asked.

"Talking in hushed whispers. About you, and maybe me— didn't pay attention that much. I don't know what they've got planned; but the fact that they’re planning anything at all terrifies me.” Steve hummed at this, smiling slightly, before speeding up as Bucky dragged him to the meeting room where the rest of the team was hiding. Once they got there they hid behind the doors, silent as ever, listening carefully.

"—do we do that?" He caught on to the tail end of a sentence.

"We... coerce them into going out. Finding some ladies. Getting laid, for God's sake. It's been 70 years. They need it." That was definitely Tony. Bucky and Steve made eye contact.

'What?' Bucky mouthed.

'I have no idea,' Steve mouthed back.

"What if they haven't moved on yet, or something. What about Agent Carter? And I'm sure Bucky had someone." Steve frowned. That was Bruce.

They did know that he and Peggy were just friends, right? Bucky looked at him, eyebrows raised and smirking slightly. Steve sighed and shook his head.

"How long do people need to move on?" asked Clint.

"It can take a long while," Thor answered. There was a murmur of agreement around the room.

"Still, they should get out more. Put themselves out there. Show people they're available."

Bucky and Steve looked at each other, and suddenly everything clicked.

It made sense. The two of them weren't big on PDA, an old habit, Steve supposed, and they didn't really do anything couple-y while around the rest of the team. Of course, Steve had always just assumed that they could tell. Hell, there were spies on the team. Steve felt like Bucky and his relationship should be obvious.

"How should we go about this?"

There was a loud sigh. “Why don't you just ask them?” Natasha piped up, pointing towards the door.

"What?" Tony asked, turning. The others mumbled similar phrases as they all looked towards the doors. The two of them stepped out from where they were hiding, Bucky smirking and Steve trying— and failing— to conceal the grin on his face. "How long were you guys standing there for?"

"Long enough," Bucky said, letting out a soft laugh. “Guess we weren't as obvious as we thought we were." Steve laughed, resting a hand on Bucky's shoulder.

"What?" Clint was the one to ask this time, glancing between the two of them.

"We don't need to find any ladies," Steve said, curling his warm hand around Bucky's cold metal one. "We're engaged." There was a long silence, before—

"When did that happen!?" Tony called out. Bruce was smiling to himself. Natasha was laughing quietly. Clint still hadn't stopped looking between the two of them, and Thor looked utterly lost.

"Uhhh... 1936, give or take a few years,"

Bucky replied. Steve elbowed him.

"July 2nd, 1938. I know you remember that." Bucky smiled softly.

"Yeah, I do," he said, pulling Steve in closer.

"Wait wait wait, backtrack for a second here. I need time to let this sink in. You've been engaged for... wow. A while.”

"Uh-huh. We lost each other for a bit somewhere in there. But we're back now,” he raised their clutched hands. “Better than ever.”

Bucky tightened his grip on Steve’s hand.

"When's the wedding?" Natasha asked. They both shrugged.

"Buck doesn't want to rush it. I want to do what Bucky wants to do." He looks at her. "But when it's decided, we could use some help planning it?"

Natasha smiled wider. "I don't know if I'll be much help," she said, "but I'll sure as hell try." Steve nodded and smiled back.

"Why didn't you tell us?" Bruce asked finally.

"We thought you all knew already. We weren't trying to hide it," Bucky said. Bruce nodded, taking this information in.

"Well. Congratulations," he said.

"Yes, yes. Congratulations!" Thor agreed.

"Thanks." Steve glanced at Bucky. "Well. This was a great talk we had, here. We’ll leave you all to it.” The others nodded and he smiled as he turned and walked with Bucky out of the doorway and down the hall.

"Engaged?" they heard Tony call once they left, causing Bucky to chuckle.

"Well, that was fun," Bucky said, smiling softly. He looked at Steve, and there was that same warm fondness in his eyes that there was years ago.

"Sure was," Steve sighed happily, slowing his walk down enough to kiss the corner of Bucky's mouth. "But I can think of something much more fun we could be doing. Right now,” he said, smiling slyly.

"I'm cool with that," Bucky replied as the two of them continued on their way. "And, Stevie?"

"Hmm?"

"I was thinkin... well, maybe it's about time we get those rings?"

Steve smiled, warmth tingling through his entire body.

"Sure thing, Buck. Whatever you want."

**Author's Note:**

> thanks for reading!


End file.
